Roses Are Red
by Weatherbug02
Summary: Roses are red, violets are blue. Paper is white until it's put into a printing press and covered in gossip. Eadrik.
This is a prompt I got on Tumblr where Eadlyn is an heiress to a magazine company that her father, Maxon, runs! To prove herself she has to intern at the company, and that's where they meet Erik! Credit to simply-bookish who came up with prompt!

Rated T for language and sexual themes later on.

* * *

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Paper is white

Until it's put into a printing press and covered in gossip.

Of course, that's not what bothers Maxon Schreave. No, the paper and gossip is how he became a billionaire. What bothers Maxon is the fact that this is who his Fortune 500 company is going to—the 22-year-old girl that sits in front of him with more than ten shopping bags surrounding her.

The look on her face absolutely screams that she does not like that she's here, and Maxon sighs deeply at that fact. This is going to be a long conversation.

He clears his throat. "Eadlyn, it's nice to see you."

She rolls her eyes. "I saw you this morning."

Maxon inwardly groans. Of course she's going to be like this. "Yes, I am aware. What I meant was it's nice to see you in here." He glances at his watch. "20 minutes late, no doubt, but at least you showed up… unlike the last four times."

Despite seeing his daughter every day, Maxon could never seem to be able to get her into his office. It was a miracle to get her here today.

Eadlyn narrows her eyes and crosses her legs. Her eyes scan her father's office, curious as to why it hasn't changed since the last time she'd been here—when she was four. "What is this about?"

Maxon leans back in his chair. "I have some news for you, Eadlyn, that I think you'll be very surprised to hear."

"Then by all means tell me."

"I'll be retiring soon," he says. A cold sweat starts trailing down his spine, but he doesn't exactly know why.

Eadlyn rolls her eyes. "'Bout time. Mom keeps going on and on about how she wishes you were home. I don't think I could take it much longer. God."

"I wasn't finished," Maxon says, looking at his daughter intensely. "I'll be retiring soon, Eadlyn, and as my first-born the company will be passed onto you."

Eadlyn's eyes widen. "What? Me?"

"Look, I know it seems very soon, but it's unlikely that it'll happen in the time you imagine it will."

Eadlyn still doesn't look at ease. "Dad! I-I can't run a company! My brain's not even done fully developing yet!"

A smile hints at Maxon's 's just like her to pull the 'brain's not done developing' excuse. "Eady, it won't be today or tomorrow. I was thinking in maybe a year or so. I just don't want you to be overwhelmed."

She shakes her head. "Have you told anyone? Please tell me you haven't."

"Your mother and I have discussed it, but I haven't told anyone else."

Eadlyn stands up and starts gathering her shopping bags, her face contorted in rage. "No, I won't do it! Make Ahren do it! He's so much better at everything."

Maxon sighs, wiping his hand across his face. "Eadlyn, come on. Be reasonable. It's your birthright. Don't give it up if you don't even know what the job is."

Eadlyn postures up and stares down her father, shopping bags in hand. "I know what the job is, and I don't wanna do it."

"Eadlyn—"

She puts on her sunglasses and sneers. "I'll see you at home, Dad."

"Eadlyn—"

And at that Eadlyn Schreave stomps straight of that office.

Maxons sighs. Illéa Media Publications is doomed.

She was fuming. She was absolutely outraged. Not only did he make her come up to his office with the weird receptionist, he asked her to take over the country that employed said weird receptionist!

Eadlyn throws open the front door, but that only results in a shriek of pain when it hits someone.

"Eadlyn!" she hears the familiar voice of her brother call. "Damn it, what's wrong with you?" Eadlyn rolls her eyes, ignoring her brother who grasps his forehead. She pushes past him and plops her shopping bags on the floor.

"Sorry, Ahren, but I've got much bigger problems." She sits on the sitting room couch and groans. "Dad asked me to take over the company."

Ahren looks surprised for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "You? Run a business? I mean, I know all about business and finances, but you?"

Eadlyn scowls at Ahren and throws her shoe at him. He sits down in front of her. "Thanks for your support, brother."

But she can't deny that he's right. This is exactly what Ahren went to Dartmouth for. The only difference was that Ahren never wanted any part of his father's business, convinced that he'd be better suited as a lawyer.

Ahren shakes his head, still snickering. "No offense, Eadlyn, but you don't seem like a business woman to me. The type of woman that Dad's company targets, maybe. But a business woman? You can't possibly be considering it."

"That's the thing. I'm not considering it. Dad says he doesn't want me to give up my birthright, but I can't run a company, Ahren! That should be your job!"

Ahren laughs, leaning back in his chair. "Sorry, but Camille and I have our own thing going."

Eadlyn visibly cringes at the mention of his girlfriend. She shakes her head. "Help me get out of this, Ahren! I'm your twin. You have to."

Ahren stands up, running a finger on the bruise now visible on his forehead. "Sorry, Eady, but you're on your own. Maybe try talking to Dad again. After he's had a glass of wine or two, of course."

She smirks. "Very funny, Ahren, but not a bad idea." Eadlyn stands and steps over her her shopping bags. A maid quickly bustles over and gathers them. Sighing, Eadlyn walks into the kitchen.

"Hey, Eady!" Osten says as he stands on the counter.

"Holy crap, Osten! What are you doing? Get down!"

Osten ignores his sister and walks over to the kitchen sink. "You're standing in the lava."

Eadlyn smirks and jumps onto the counter. "Not anymore."

Osten's smile grows. "Kaden said I had to find him, but I can't step in the lava."

Of course Kaden was behind this. Eadlyn knows he has a knack for playing unfair games with the youngest of the Schreaves. "Well, tell Kaden that Eadlyn, the Goddess that controls everything in the world, says it's no longer lava."

Osten narrows his eyes. "But you can't be a goddess. You're not pretty enough."

Eadlyn gasps as Osten jumps off the counter and runs down the hall. "You're going to pay for that, kid!"

"What's going on?" a voice says from behind Eadlyn.

Eadlyn turns to see her mother, America, a gentle smile on her lips. "Hi, Mom."

"Where have you been all day?" she asks, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a cupcake.

Eadlyn shrugs. "Shopping. I bought you a pair of shoes."

America laughs, biting into the cupcake. "And I will gladly take them. Anything else new?"

"Not really. But, oh yeah, Dad wants me to take over the company."

Her mother laughs, which Eadlyn knew she would. Dad had said she was in on this, of course. "And what did you say? You're not acting like it's good news."

"It's not! I don't want to make my own lunch, let alone a Fortune 500 company, whatever that means! I'm not that person! I'm not good at math or being nice to people like Dad is! I only made it to Harvard because Dad bought my way in! What am I supposed to do? I'd be the laughing stock of this family!"

America laughs. And not the quiet, subtle kind. She laughed the uncontrollable, ridiculously loud one. This just makes Eadlyn feel worse. She grabs the cupcake from her mom and takes a huge bite.

"Mom!"

America shakes her head, wiping her mouth off with a napkin. "Sorry, hon, but you'll have to settle this with you father. He's not an unreasonable man, you know. Maybe you can make a deal with him."

Eadlyn jumps up onto the counter and continues to devour her cupcake. "What if he doesn't? I can't run a company! I don't even know how many magazines he owns!"

America rolls her eyes. "Osten knows how many magazines your father owns."

"Well, tell Dad to give the company to Osten, then!" Eadlyn stomps up the stairs and collapses onto her bed.

America starts laughing again.

The next time Eadlyn is aware of the time was at six when Osten swung open the door and called her down for dinner. Even as he waits for his daughter, Maxon knows what's coming, and he does not want to have this conversation again.

She stomps down the stairs, scowling as soon as she sees him. She takes her place at the table in silence, but Maxon can just feel the anger radiating off her. He glances over at Ahren, who seems amused, and shakes his head. Of course she told him. She tells him everything.

Their food is served, but even 20 minutes in, Eadlyn barely took a bite of food. After the unbearably long silence, Maxon finally speaks. "Eadlyn, let's talk about this."

"Absolutely not," she grumbles, pushing her salad around.

America rolls her eyes. "Be reasonable, Eadlyn. Remember what I told you."

Maxon glances at his wife. "What'd you tell her?"

"Just to listen to you," Eadlyn answers for her mother. "She said we could make a compromise, but I have no idea how that'd work. I don't want to compromise. I don't want to do this at all!"

"Eadlyn, please. We can make this work. I just want you to keep an open mind, okay?" She narrows her eyes in suspicion, but Maxon pays no notice. "I've been thinking a lot about this. I know you don't think you have the ability to do this, but I have confidence in you. You just have to prove it to yourself."

Eadlyn rolls her eyes. "And how do I do that, hm?"

"I want you to be an intern for one of my editors."

Eadlyn stares at him for a second, debating whether he's joking. Realizing he's not she bursts out laughing. Ahren and Kaden glance at each other, chewing slowly. "Me, an intern? You can't be serious."

Maxon takes a bite of his broccoli. "Oh, I am."

Eadlyn shakes her head and stands, throwing her napkin down on her dinner plate. "Dad, I love you, but I can't do this. You don't understand."She turns around and starts marching away.

"Three months, Eadlyn. Do it for three months and still think you can't do it, I'll never bother you with it again. I'll find another Heir to inherit the company."

She stops, slowly turning around to face her father. She narrows her eyes. "You swear if I don't think I can do it that I won't have to do it? You swear it?"

Her father nods. "Of course."

Eadlyn sighs. "I know I'm going to regret this, but fine. I'll do it if it's the only way you'll leave me alone."

Maxon walks over to her, a smile on his face, and shakes her hand. "Then it's done."

* * *

Hey, guys! This is my first multichap fic that I've written for the Selection Series, so I hope you enjoy. Btw, I'm Eadrik trash, soooo Jow'd you guys like The Crown?

Weatherbug02


End file.
